DNSFilter
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're an MSP or SMB wanting cheap, low-maintenance DNS-level filtering across many networks.
New check
Comparison
DNSFilter vs Control D
DNSFilter and Control D both land on Worth it.
Control D
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you want network-wide ad, tracker, and malware blocking . and test the free resolvers first.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Worth it |
| Best for | MSPs managing many client networks | Households wanting network-wide ad/malware blocking |
| Who it's not for | Home users wanting a free family filter | Anyone expecting VPN privacy . this is DNS filtering, not a VPN |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.10 | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | Reddit reports of ticket back-and-forth | Reddit reports poor service attitude |
| Public sentiment | Users on G2, Capterra, and r/msp consistently praise its simplicity and value, with recurring gripes about the roaming client agent.¹ | Enthusiasts switching from NextDNS are mostly satisfied, but latency, smart-TV buffering, billing, and support complaints recur.13 |
| Biggest gotcha | Pricing comes in license types (Basic, Pro, MSP); confirm what your tier includes before committing. | Per-device pricing multiplies fast across many gadgets; HN commenters flag cost vs rivals |
Pick DNSFilter when
- MSPs managing many client networks
- SMBs wanting set-and-forget DNS protection
- Schools filtering content at DNS level
- Budget-conscious Cisco Umbrella escapees
When DNSFilter is not a fit
- Home users wanting a free family filter
- Teams needing full proxy/SWG content inspection
- Anyone expecting it to replace endpoint antivirus
- Solo admins who won't manage roaming agents
Pick Control D when
- Households wanting network-wide ad/malware blocking
- Router and homelab tinkerers (OPNsense, pfSense)
- Small IT teams needing managed DNS filtering
- NextDNS users wanting custom endpoints
When Control D is not a fit
- Anyone expecting VPN privacy . this is DNS filtering, not a VPN
- Price-sensitive homes with many devices; per-device fees stack up
- Enterprises wanting a full security platform, not one DNS layer
- Zero-config users . good free resolvers need no account at all
Sources
review
- DNSFilter Reviews . Capterracapterra.comreview
- Evaluating DNSfilter . r/mspreddit.comreview
review
- DNSFilter review . TechRadartechradar.comreview
- Guide to DNSFilter Pricing . Control Dcontrold.comnews
- Cisco Umbrella vs DNSFilter . dope.securitydope.securitynews
- DNSFilter Pricing . officialdnsfilter.comofficial
- DNSFilter Product security pagednsfilter.comsecurity
- How Much Has DNSFilter Raised? . StartupFundraisingstartupfundraising.comnews
- DNSFilter Case Studies . officialdnsfilter.comofficial